1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus to aid practice hitting of a baseball or softball supported by a ball holder that can be moved to position the ball to be hit almost instantly at any position in the hitting zone, in or out of the strike zone. The present invention relates generally to athletic equipment and more particularly to an apparatus for holding balls for batting practice.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The most common method of repetitive practice of the art of hitting a softball or baseball, particularly for young or inexperienced players, is hitting the ball off of a batting T into a net or field. There are a significant number of relevant patented devices. Those patents are: U.S. Pat. No. 4,227,691, Lefebvre, et. al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,307, Owen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,709,924, Wilson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,556,091, Lin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,866, Dill; U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,937, Gordon; U.S. Pat. No. 5,928,092, Keeter et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,085, Lewy; U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,880, Wiseman et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,273,277, Freese; U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,039, Laseke, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The device of Lefebvre, Owen, Wilson, Lin, Dill, Gordon and Keeter are all variations of the basic batting T with a telescoping vertical tube for height adjustment with different methods of adjusting the ball location to inside and outside locations relative to the batter. All are also capable of locating the held ball out front or later relative to the flight of a pitched ball. Devices similar to these are currently or have been commercially available. Significant detail on the importance of hitting the ball at the optimum contact angle is provide by Owen. The optimum angle is related primarily to making bat contact with an inside pitch when the ball is over, or in front of, the front part of the plate, a so-called early swing, or making bat contact with an outside pitch when the ball is over, or behind, the rear part of the plate, a so-called late swing. The device of Keeter includes features to encourage a level swing. All require the loosening or tightening of mechanical parts of the device to reposition the ball.
The device of Lewy is multifaceted with the primary intent of being able to teach hitting a stationary ball at the correct contact angle by controlling the position of the batter's feet and relocating the position of the ball holder. The device of Wiseman relocates the batter's feet relative to a stationary ball holder via a marked mat.
The devices of Freese and Laseke have the primary intent of teaching a level or down angle swing. The device of Laseke is commercially available. It is noted that the device of Laseke includes a near horizontal rod with a ball holder and includes features for vertical adjustment of the ball location.